Oral Tobacco Product

ABSTRACT

A preformed mouldable oral tobacco product is disclosed which does not exhibit any brittleness and has a three-point bending strength of less than 4N, and method of manufacturing the same. Also disclosed is a preformed mouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a friability value of less than 0.5%.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tobacco product and, moreparticularly, to a non-smokeable tobacco product for oral use and amethod of manufacturing the same.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to United KingdomPatent Application GB 1206402.8, filed Apr. 11, 2012, entitled “OralTobacco Product.” The entire contents of the aforementioned applicationare expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Tobacco products for smokeless use include snuff, snus and other tobaccocompositions. Snus can be in the form of loose tobacco particles or inpre-portioned fleece pouches. Smokeless oral-use tobacco products alsoinclude tobacco mixed with various additives including binding agents,and processed to produce a hardened tobacco product.

SUMMARY

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there isprovided a preformed mouldable oral tobacco product which does notexhibit any brittleness and has a three-point bending strength of lessthan 4N. The mouldable tobacco product may, in further embodiments,exhibit an increased malleability and/or ductility as well as acorresponding reduction in brittleness.

The oral tobacco product may comprise a cellulose derivative as abinding agent, for example carboxymethyl cellulose. In some embodiments,the binding agent may consist exclusively of carboxymethyl cellulose.

The binding agent may be provided in a proportion of greater than 1% byweight, between 1%-10% by weight, between 1%-7% by weight, between 1%-5%by weight, or between 2%-4% by weight, depending on the embodiment.

The oral tobacco product may have a three-point bending strength ofbetween 1N and 4N, between 1N and 3.5N, between 1N and 3N, between 1Nand 2.5N, between 1.5N and 3.5N, between 2N and 4N, between 2.5N and 4N,between 3N and 4N, or around 2.5N, depending on the embodiment.

The oral tobacco product may be substantially stable in water, forexample such that it does not break down or dissolve in water in lessthan 30 minutes, does not break down or dissolve in water in less than 1hour, or does not break down or dissolve in water in less than 2 hours.

The oral tobacco product may exhibit a percentage weight loss after 30minutes in water of less than 25%, less than 10%, between 4%-7%, or lessthan 6%, depending on the embodiment.

The mouldable oral tobacco product may exhibit a friability value ofless than 0.5%, less than 0.4%, between 0.1% and 0.4%, between 0.1% and0.35%, between 0.1% and 0.3%, between 0.15% and 0.4%, or between 0.2%and 0.4%, depending on the embodiment.

The oral tobacco product may not exhibit any brittleness, and may insome embodiments have a three-point bending strength of less than 4N.

The oral tobacco product of the present disclosure may comprise anynon-mutually exclusive combination of features defined above, or maycomprise any of the features defined above individually.

Also provided is a method of manufacturing a preformed mouldable oraltobacco product comprising combining tobacco with a binding agent toform a mixture, and providing individual portions thereof, for exampleby extrusion of the mixture and dividing said extruded mixture into theindividual portions.

The binding agent may comprise a cellulose derivative, for examplecarboxymethyl cellulose, and in some embodiments may consist exclusivelyof carboxymethyl cellulose.

The method may further comprise kneading the mixture before theextruding step, and may comprise kneading the mixture for a duration ofbetween 5-20 minutes, between 5-15 minutes, between 5-10 minutes,between 15-20 minutes, between 10-20 minutes, between 7-15 minutes, oraround 10 minutes, depending on the embodiment.

The method may, in some embodiments, further comprise heating themixture before the extruding step.

The oral tobacco product may have a three-point bending strength of lessthan 3N, less than 2.5N, less then 0.5N, or less than 0.25N, dependingon the embodiment.

Embodiments comprising heating the mixture before the extruding step mayfurther comprise heating the mixture to between 5° C. and 70° C. orbetween 50° C.-60° C. Alternatively, the method may comprise not heatingthe mixture and the process may take place at an ambient temperature,which may be between 5° C. and 20° C., between 5° C. and 15° C.,between5° C. and 10° C., between 10° C. and 20° C., or between 15° C.and 20° C., depending on the embodiment.

Some embodiments of the present invention also provide a preformedmouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a negative force greaterthan −0.1N in a three-point bending strength test. In still furtherembodiments, the oral tobacco product may exhibit a negative force ofbetween −0.1N to −0.9N, or more specifically between −0.4N to −0.6N, ina three-point bending strength test.

Some embodiments of the present invention also provide a preformed oraltobacco product comprising tobacco and a cellulose derivative as abinding agent.

The binding agent may, for example, partially or exclusively comprisecarboxymethyl cellulose.

The binding agent may, in some embodiments, be provided in one of theproportions as defined above.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide an oral tobaccoproduct which does not exhibit any brittleness and is stable in water.Such an oral tobacco product may further comprise any feature orcharacteristic or non-mutually exclusive combination thereof, as definedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a plurality of continuous lengths oftobacco product of the invention being formed by an extruder;

FIG. 2 shows a partial view of the continuous lengths of tobacco productof FIG. 1 having been cut into individual portions;

FIG. 3 shows one individual portion of tobacco product of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows three-point bend test results of a number of test tobaccoproduct formulations, including product formulations according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a wide continuous belt of tobacco product material beingformed by an extruder;

FIG. 6 shows the continuous belt of tobacco product material of FIG. 4having been processed by a cutter/scorer roller to divide the belt intoindividual tobacco product portions;

FIG. 7 shows a double roller apparatus for producing individual portionsof tobacco product of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 shows a friability test drum used to measure the friabilityphysical property of the tobacco products of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A first embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a soft andmouldable oral tobacco product comprising tobacco combined with abinding agent and extruded into continuous rods which are then cut intoindividual portions. Optionally, the product may additionally includefurther additives, such as, for example, flavourants, humectants, and/orthe like.

In one embodiment, a method is provided for producing such an oraltobacco product, the method comprising combining moist snus tobacco withcarboxymethyl cellulose (‘CMC’) as a binding agent at a proportion of 3%by weight. The snus tobacco typically includes a number of additionalcomponents already mixed therewith, which may include salt, soda,humectants such as propylene glycol and/or glycerol, flavouring, water,and/or the like. The moisture content of the snus may be around 55%.However, the moisture content is not limited to this value and may bebetween 30%-60%, between 45%-60%, or between 50%-58%. The mixture isthen heated to around 60° C. and kneaded for around 10 minutes. Themixture is then extruded through a multiple orifice extruder (see FIG.1)—though other extruder configurations are within the scope of theinvention—to form elongate strips of tobacco composition which aresubsequently cut into individual portions (see FIGS. 2 and 3). It is tobe noted that the invention is not intended to be limited to such amethod including a heating step, and this step may be omitted.

A second embodiment for producing oral tobacco products comprisesfeeding tobacco, and optionally other dry additives, into an extrudingmachine. The tobacco may be milled or ground tobacco, or may be tobaccoprocessed in any other way. The tobacco feeds into an extruder thatheats the tobacco (and dry additives, if applicable), and combines waterand CMC as a binding agent, and, optionally, other liquid additives,with the dry ingredients. CMC as a binding agent is included at aproportion of 3% by weight. The heated mixture is then fed through a dieto form a continuous length of moist tobacco composition which issubsequently cut to desired lengths or into individual portions. Thefirst extruder may be a gravimetric counter-rotating twin-screwextruder, or a single screw extruder. The second extruder may be atwin-screw co-rotating extruder with variable heat zones and screwconfigurations, or a single screw with one heat zone. However, theseextruders are only exemplary and are not limiting to the scope of theinvention. The heat zones may be controllable to between 25° C.-150° C.Alternatively, it is contemplated that this method may not include anyheating of the mixture from an external heat source, in which case themixing process would occur at ambient temperature, for example 5° C.-20°C.

The resulting portions of tobacco product produced by the aforementionedembodiments are soft and malleable, allowing them to easily be mouldedby a user into a desired shape prior to insertion into the mouth foruse. The product may exhibit a reduction in, or a lack of, brittleness.

The physical characteristics of a number of tobacco products made usingthe above processes, but using a variety of different binding agents,were tested. In particular, each product of different composition wastested for hardness and bending properties using a Three-Point Bendingtest (hereafter “TPB test”), a known test which measures how much forceis required to bend/break a product into two or more pieces. The testinvolves a portion of product being placed on two spaced supports, and aprobe presses against the upper surface of the product at the mid-pointbetween the supports and moves at a rate downwards towards the twosupports. The reactionary force exerted back by the test product on theprobe is recorded as the probe moves and as the product deforms betweenthe supports and point of force application, until the product breaks orthe test concludes.

A number of samples of oral tobacco products of the invention were alsotested for the physical property of “friability”. Friability is ameasurement of the tendency of an object to be reduced to smaller pieceswhen subjected to pressure or friction. A numerical value for friabilityis the weight percentage of material lost when an individual productsample is placed within a friability drum and rotated at 25 rpm for 100revolutions, which is equal to 4 minutes of rotation. A friability drumis a standard test apparatus comprising a drum with a diameter of 152 mmand a paddle which lifts and drops the sample product on each rotationof the drum. In the tests conducted, the friability test drum was aCopley 1000 tester drum, as shown in FIG. 8. Brittle products that havea tendency to chip or break will have a higher friability percentagevalue, whereas soft, mouldable products which do not readily chip orshatter exhibit much lower friability percentage values.

The numerical results of the friability of two exemplary sets of anumber of samples of oral tobacco products prepared according to thepresent disclosure are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below. The first sampleset was also subjected to TPB tests and these values are additionallyshown in Table 1. In addition to these test results, the results offurther TPB tests of samples of oral tobacco products of the inventionhaving differing compositions are shown in the graph of FIG. 4, whichincludes tobacco composition products with various binding agentsincluding pectin, carrageennan, gellan, guar, hamulsion, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), locust bean gum (LBG), sodium alginate,xanthan, agar, and CMC.

TABLE 1 Sample set 1 - Friability and TPB test results Weight WeightThree Point before after Three Point Bending - Sample friabilityfriability Difference Friability Bending - Maximum Number test (g) test(g) (g) (%) Minimum (N) (N) 1 30.1085 30.0588 0.0497 0.17% — — 2 30.274230.2225 0.0517 0.17% — — 3 30.2483 30.1959 0.0524 0.17% — — 4 29.830129.7434 0.0867 0.29% −0.302 2.8478 5 29.4287 29.3633 0.0654 0.22%−0.3176 2.6677 6 29.7334 29.6665 0.0669 0.22% −0.348 2.6945 7 29.618828.1016 1.5169   5% −0.3506 2.6925 8 29.4723 29.4080 0.0643 0.22%−0.3469 2.5659 9 29.4714 29.4005 0.0709 0.24% −0.3406 2.5679 10 29.569829.4974 0.0724 0.24% — — 11 29.4400 29.3926 0.0474 0.16% — — 12 29.525429.4737 0.0517 0.18% −0.3498 1.8336 13 29.5676 29.5199 0.0477 0.16%−0.3626 1.9415 14 29.5371 29.4890 0.0481 0.16% −0.3628 1.8474 15 29.820229.7750 0.0452 0.15% −0.3008 1.9203 16 29.8016 29.7498 0.0518 0.17%−0.3206 1.9037 17 29.9204 29.8657 0.0547 0.18% −0.3144 1.7754 18 29.635829.5853 0.0505 0.17% −0.2937 1.5397 19 29.4904 29.4478 0.0426 0.14%−0.2951 1.421 20 29.5131 29.4522 0.0609 0.21% −0.3037 1.5787 21 28.760228.7035 0.0567 0.20% −2956 2.2142 22 28.6516 28.6095 0.0421 0.15%−0.2994 2.2862 23 28.9318 28.8785 0.0533 0.18% −0.3185 2.3265 24 28.897228.8469 0.0503 0.17% −0.2925 2.7956 25 29.1156 29.0540 0.0616 0.21%−0.394 2.6525 26 28.9331 28.8758 0.0573 0.20% −0.3975 2.5926 27 29.289229.2276 0.0616 0.21% −0.3684 2.6506 28 29.7568 29.7004 0.0564 0.19%−0.436 2.8467 29 29.5851 29.5184 0.0667 0.23% −0.4232 2.7604 30 29.390429.3485 0.0419 0.14% −0.3262 1.6799 31 29.2997 29.2583 0.0414 0.14%−0.3297 1.7266 32 29.3207 29.2725 0.0482 0.16% −0.3274 1.6928 33 29.201429.1476 0.0538 0.18% −0.3242 1.7774 34 29.4028 29.3533 0.0495 0.17%−0.3267 1.71 35 29.1155 29.0653 0.0502 0.17% −0.3436 1.5883 36 29.417629.3774 0.0402 0.14% −0.4845 2.9047 37 29.4210 29.3748 0.0462 0.16%−0.4244 2.9382 38 29.3874 29.3360 0.0514 0.17% −0.4293 2.7686 39 29.511129.4608 0.0503 0.17% −0.3012 3.4808 40 29.7908 29.7428 0.0480 0.16%−0.2256 3.4973 41 28.3111 28.2657 0.0454 0.16% −0.3949 3.2675 42 29.787029.6899 0.0971 0.33% −0.3022 1.6538 43 29.6391 29.5626 0.0765 0.26%−0.3081 1.6347 44 29.6853 29.5987 0.0866 0.29% −0.31 1.6526 45 29.692429.6352 0.0572 0.19% −0.368 2.7362 46 29.2403 29.1959 0.0444 0.15%−0.3958 2.8025 47 29.7833 29.7276 0.0557 0.19% −0.3701 2.7801 48 29.082629.0255 0.0571 0.20% −0.2761 2.7155 49 29.7832 28.7369 0.0463 0.16%−0.2527 2.6535 50 28.9325 28.8851 0.0474 0.16% −0.2376 2.5916 51 29.987929.9208 0.0671 0.22% −0.331 2.516 52 29.6288 29.5642 0.0646 0.22%−0.3424 2.6502 53 29.8454 29.7838 0.0616 0.21% −0.3263 2.5361 54 29.638729.5482 0.0905 0.31% −0.3248 2.4527 55 30.1406 30.0436 0.0970 0.32%−0.2852 2.7934 56 29.9599 29.9027 0.0572 0.19% −0.3251 2.4198 57 30.192030.1220 0.0700 0.23% −0.2775 2.6153 58 29.8984 29.8370 0.0614 0.21%−0.2714 2.668 59 28.0844 28.0248 0.0596 0.21% −0.3372 2.3507 60 29.323229.2622 0.0610 0.21% −0.3635 2.5247 61 29.0555 28.9990 0.0565 0.19%−0.3197 2.1457 62 27.8569 27.7890 0.0679  0.2% −0.3015 2.3744 63 29.276829.2110 0.0658 0.22% −0.3094 2.3606

TABLE 2 Sample set 2 - Friability and TPB test results Weight beforeWeight after Sample friability test friability test DifferenceFriability Number (g) (g) (g) (%) 1 30.0930 30.0496 0.0434 0.14% 230.2595 30.2139 0.0456 0.15% 3 30.1713 30.1276 0.0437 0.14% 4 29.950329.9038 0.0465 0.16% 5 30.0988 30.0528 0.0460 0.15% 6 29.8706 29.81430.0563 0.19% 7 30.3218 30.2557 0.0661 0.22% 8 30.0644 30.0057 0.05870.20% 9 30.1581 30.0960 0.0621 0.21% 10 30.3498 30.2930 0.0568 0.19% 1130.2619 30.2131 0.0488 0.16% 12 29.1994 29.1426 0.0568 0.19% 13 29.770029.7289 0.0411 0.14% 14 28.6369 28.5906 0.0463 0.16% 15 30.5005 30.44140.0591 0.19% 16 30.3697 30.2922 0.0775 0.255% 17 30.4545 30.3680 0.08650.28% 18 30.8266 30.7425 0.0841 0.27% 19 31.0328 30.9338 0.0990 0.32% 2030.8475 30.7640 0.0835 0.27% 21 30.8582 30.7803 0.0779 0.25% 22 30.375230.3029 0.0723 0.24% 23 30.3466 30.2708 0.0758 0.25% 24 30.5830 30.49210.0909 0.30%

Referring first to the graph of FIG. 4, it can be seen that the graphplot for many compositions of tobacco product and binding agent have acurve profile which initially increases to a peak force value, afterwhich point, the force plot drops. This signifies a product with aninitial hardness before breaking, the peak of the graph being the breakpoint, and indicates a brittleness to the products, after which breakpoint, the force is reduced.

Conversely to the above, some of the plots for tobacco products ofembodiments of the invention steadily increase in force value over timewith no decrease in force value, illustrating that these products do notbreak and exhibit no brittleness, but instead, are malleable andcontinue to deform as increasing force is applied. Therefore, thesetobacco products exhibit the desirable physical properties of beingmouldable by a user into a desired shape prior to insertion into themouth, or mouldable once in the mouth, without breaking into smallerchunks as would a harder or brittle product. The height of the curvesfor these tobacco products indicates the force required to mould theproduct. It can be seen from the graphs for these products thatdiffering tobacco blends result in products which require differentdegrees of force to be applied in order to be moulded. One of thebinding agents that results in a mouldable product is CMC. However, theinvention is not intended to be limited to a tobacco product having thisbinding agent, and other binding agents may also demonstrate similarproperties, such as, for example, xanthan gum, pectin, locust bean gum,gellan, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), guar gum, agar,carrageenan, tragacanth, sodium alginate or maltodextrin.

Referring to the test results in Table 1, it can be seen that, with theexception of sample 7 which has a friability value far outside theremaining sample range and so can be excluded from consideration as atest anomaly, the samples tested exhibited a friability percentage valuewithin the range of 0.14%-0.33%, with a sample set average of 0.20%.These samples also exhibited a maximum TPB test force value within therange of 1.42N-3.50N, with a sample average of 2.37N. The low friabilityvalues illustrate the physical characteristics of the sample products asbeing soft, mouldable, and not exhibiting any brittleness. Therelatively low maximum TPB test force values also indicate a mouldableand malleable product.

Referring to the test results in Table 2, it can be seen that thesamples tested exhibited a friability percentage value within the rangeof 0.14%-0.32%, with a sample set average of 0.21N, very close to, andconsistent with, the friability test results obtained from the firstsample set in Table 1, again, illustrating the physical characteristicsof the sample products as being soft, mouldable and not exhibiting anybrittleness.

Another desirable physical property demonstrated by the tobaccocomposition products of the invention is that the preformed product doesnot, or substantially does not, stain the fingers of the user when beingmoulded and manipulated prior to use.

In addition to the above, with CMC as a binding agent at 3%, the tobaccocomposition products of the various formulations exhibit a maximum TPBtest force of less than around 400 g, equating to around 4N, consistentwith the results in Table 1 discussed above. The highest maximum TPBtest value of the products tested was achieved with the product madefrom coarse stem tobacco. The three products produced using coarselamina tobacco, fine grade lamina and stem tobacco (“Granit Fine”) andmixed grade lamina and stem tobacco (“Granit Mixed”), produced tobaccoproduct formulations in which the three-point bending strength was lessthan 250 g, or 2.5N, whilst all being soft, malleable products.

The tobacco products of the present disclosure are not limited to suchvalues, however, and some embodiments, with varying types of dry tobaccoand CMC binding agent percentage by weight, may have a three-pointbending strength less than 2.5N, less than 0.5N, or less than 0.25N.

The loose tobacco used in the manufacture of the tobacco products of theinventions and in the embodiments described above, may be relativelyfine in size, and snus tobacco or other fine grade tobacco may beemployed.

The tobacco products of some embodiments are also stable in water for atleast 30 minutes, and in some cases one hour, and do not break down,dissolve, or otherwise lose product mass as a result of exposure towater, as do some known smokeless oral tobacco products. This results ina product which maintains its integrity and shape during three phases ofconsumer use (insertion into a user's mouth, use, and removal from auser's mouth), making it convenient to use and also clean and convenientto dispose of after use.

The above property of resistance to disintegration in water of thetobacco products of the present disclosure was tested using thefollowing methodology. Five fleeces were identity marked WC (WetControl) Replicate sample 1,2,3 and DC (Dry Control). Four flat bottomedround 150 ml flasks were identified WC, 1, 2, 3. Five aluminium boatswere identified WC, 1, 2, 3, DC. Samples WC, 1, 2, 3 were weighed(“weight 1”—see Table 3 below) and put into corresponding flasks. 100mls of de-ionized water was dispensed into each flask and stoppered.Flasks 1, 2, 3 were placed on a shaker for 30 minutes at 155 rpm. The WCflask was not shaken. Samples 1, 2, 3 and WC were then drained through asieve on top of their respective fleece. Sample DC was then weighed(“weight 1”). All samples were then arranged on a sieve and placed in anoven at 29 degrees Celsius. Samples were then dried for over 12 hours(22 actual). Samples were then weighed, and the data was recorded(“weight 2”—see Table 3 below).

The weight loss for each sample (weight 1-weight 2) was then calculatedand recorded. The percentage weight loss for each sample was thencompared with that for the wet control, using an “average portionweight” (APW) value of finished products. This APW value had previouslybeen calculated from 20 sample products as being 1.5211 g. Thepercentage weight loss was calculated using the following formula:

{[weight difference(R ₁ −R ₃)−weight difference(WC)]/APW}×100

Table 3 below shows the results of the above test and the percentageweight loss values of those replicate samples 1-3:

TABLE 3 Disintegration test 1 results weight loss compared Weight WeightDiffer- to WC using Average 1 2 ence Portion Weight (APW) (g) (g) (g)(%) Dry Control (DC) 4.0932 3.5148 0.5784 Wet Control (WC) 4.1190 3.36390.7551 Replicate 1 4.1274 3.2900 0.8374 5.4 Replicate 2 4.0922 3.26760.8246 4.6 Replicate 3 4.1341 3.2825 0.8516 6.3

The above results show that the tested products exhibit a weight losspercentage value of between 4.6%-6.3% and an average weight loss valueof less than 6%. The property of resistance to disintegration in waterof the tobacco products was also tested using a second test methodologywhich is in accordance with recognised standard European Pharmacopoeia,Pharmaceutical Technical Procedures 2.9.1—Disintegration of Tablets andCapsules. This test determines whether tablets or capsules candisintegrate within a prescribed time when placed in a liquid medium. Inthis test, product samples are placed within a tube, in a liquid-filledcontainer and agitated within the liquid. When tested using thismethodology, tobacco products of embodiments of the invention were foundto be substantially stable in water for at least 30 minutes, and showedstability in water for at least 1 hour, and further were substantiallystable in water for at least 2 hours.

Referring again to the graph of FIG. 4, a further property exclusive tocertain tobacco product formulations of the present disclosure is shown,in that the end of the graphs dip below the zero on the Force x-axis atthe end of the test when the force of the test probe stops moving. Thisindicates an elasticity in the product which exceeds that of otherformulations of other known tobacco products that were tested with otherbinding agents. In the tested range of products, the negative force inthe three-point bend test ranged between approximately −10 g (−0.1N) toaround −90 g (−0.9N). The greatest negative value was exhibited by theformulation in which course stem tobacco was used, with other productformulations exhibiting a negative value of around −40 g to −60 g (−0.4Nto −0.6N). One binding agent that was used to form a product whichexhibited such desirablephysical characteristics is CMC, although thedisclosure is not intended to be limited to a tobacco product havingthis binding agent, and other binding agents, including those listedabove, may also demonstrate such desirable properties.

A further advantage of the tobacco products of the invention is thatthey may provide a flavour delivery comparable to that of loose snuswithout the inconvenience of small particles being spread around theinside of the mouth which can get caught in the gums/teeth, and themessy disposal after use, as is the case with loose snus and hardsmokeless tobacco products. Furthermore, the products provide theconvenience of pouched snus but without the requirement for the tobaccoproduct to be contained within a pouch and the disadvantages that may beassociated with pouched snus products.

It is noted that, while the mixture is described in some embodiments asbeing heated to around 60° C., this temperature may take on other valuesor ranges, for example between 5° C. and 70° C., or 50° C. In anotherembodiment, the mixture may not require heating at all, and the heatingstep of the process may be omitted entirely. In such a case, the mixtureis processed at an ambient temperature, for example between 5° C. and20° C.

Furthermore, although the kneading step is described in some embodimentsas being performed for around lo minutes, the process of the inventionis not intended to be limited to this duration and other kneading timesmay be used, for example, between 3-20 minutes, or between 7-15 minutes.Additionally, although the binder is described in some embodiments asbeing added at a proportion of around 3% by weight, other proportionsare also contemplated, for example between 1%-5%, or between 2%-4%. Ithas been found that a binding agent proportion less than 1% does notbind the tobacco together in the finished product to the required level,whereas a binding agent proportion more than 5% may result inundesirable product characteristics. The above binding agent proportionsapply to CMC as a binding agent but the disclosure is not intended to belimited to a tobacco product having this binding agent, and otherbinding agents, including but not limited to those listed above, and inthe same or similar proportions, may also demonstrate such desirableproperties.

The extruding of the continuous lengths of tobacco product mayalternatively be different to that of the processes described above, andmay alternatively comprise extruding a wide belt of material (see FIG.5) and subsequently shaping it using a cutter/scorer (see FIG. 6). In afurther embodiment, the product may be shaped and formed into individualdosages by being passed through double rollers (see FIG. 7). In yetanother embodiment, the product may be shaped and formed into individualdosages by being extruded into half-dies then pressed together.

In order to address various issues and advance the art, the entirety ofthis disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments inwhich the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide for superiororal tobacco products and methods of manufacture. The advantages andfeatures of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodimentsonly, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented onlyto assist in understanding and teach the claimed features. It is to beunderstood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features,structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to beconsidered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims orlimitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments maybe utilised and modifications may be made without departing from thescope and/or spirit of the disclosure. Various embodiments may suitablycomprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations ofthe disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc.In addition, the disclosure includes other inventions not presentlyclaimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Additional embodiments include:

A preformed mouldable oral tobacco product which does not exhibit anybrittleness and has a three-point bending strength of less than 4N; anoral tobacco product which does not exhibit any brittleness and has athree-point bending strength of less than 4N, and which comprises cuttobacco and carboxymethyl cellulose as a binding agent; an oral tobaccoproduct which does not exhibit any brittleness and has a three-pointbending strength of less than 4N, which comprises cut tobacco andcarboxymethyl cellulose as a binding agent, and wherein the bindingagent consists exclusively of carboxymethyl cellulose.

An oral tobacco product wherein the binding agent is provided as aproportion of greater than 1% by weight, between 1%-10% by weight,between 1%-7% by weight, between 1%-5% by weight, or between 2%-4% byweight, depending on the embodiment; an oral tobacco product which doesnot exhibit any brittleness, and has a three-point bending strength ofless than 4N, e.g., between 1N and 3.5N; an oral tobacco productaccording to any preceding embodiment which is substantially stable inwater and does not substantially break down or dissolve in water in lessthan 30 minutes, less than 1 hour, or less than 2 hours; and an oraltobacco product according to any preceding embodiment which issubstantially stable in water and does not substantially break down ordissolve in water in less than 30 minutes, less than 1 hour, or lessthan 2 hours, and which exhibits a percentage weight loss, after 30minutes in water, of less than 25%, less than 10%, between 4%-7%, or anaverage weight loss of less than 6%.

A pre-formed mouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a friabilityvalue of less than 0.5%, less than 0.4%, or between 0.1% and 0.4%; anoral tobacco product having a friability value of less than 0.5% whichdoes not exhibit any brittleness and has a three-point bending strengthof less than 4N; an oral tobacco product having a friability value ofless than 0.5% which does not exhibit any brittleness and has athree-point bending strength of less than 4N, and having a three-pointbending strength of between 1N and 3.5N; and a pre-formed mouldable oraltobacco product which exhibits a friability value of less than 0.5% andcomprises cut tobacco and carboxymethyl cellulose as a binding agent,wherein the binding agent is, in some embodiments, exclusivelycarboxymethyl cellulose.

A pre-formed mouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a friabilityvalue of less than 0.5% and comprises cut tobacco and carboxymethylcellulose as a binding agent, wherein the binding agent is provided as aproportion of greater than 1% by weight, between 1%-10% by weight,between 1% and 7% by weight, between 1% and 5% by weight, or between 2%and 4% by weight; a pre-formed mouldable oral tobacco product whichexhibits a friability value of less than 0.5% which is substantiallystable in water and does not substantially break down or dissolve inwater in less than 30 minutes, less than 1 hour, or less than 2 hours;and an oral tobacco product according to the previous embodiment whichexhibits a percentage weight loss in water over 30 minutes of less than25%, less than 10%, or between 4%-7%, or which exhibits an averageweight loss of less than 6%.

A method of manufacturing a preformed mouldable oral tobacco productcomprising combining tobacco with a binding agent and providingindividual portions thereof; a method according to the previousembodiment wherein the binding agent comprises a cellulose derivative,for example partially or exclusively comprising carboxymethyl cellulose;a method of manufacturing a preformed mouldable oral tobacco productcomprising combining tobacco with a binding agent and providingindividual portions thereof, and further comprising kneading the mixturebefore an extruding step, and wherein kneading the mixture may occur forbetween 7 and 15 minutes, e.g., 10 minutes; and a method ofmanufacturing a preformed mouldable oral tobacco product comprisingcombining tobacco with a binding agent and providing individual portionsthereof, and further comprising heating the mixture before an extrudingstep.

A preformed mouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a maximumnegative force greater than −0.1N in a three-point bending strengthtest; an oral tobacco product according to the previous embodiment whichexhibits a negative force of between −0.1N to −0.9N, e.g., between −0.4Nand −0.6N, in a three-point bending strength test; a preformed mouldableoral tobacco product which exhibits a maximum negative force greaterthan −0.1N in a three-point bending strength test, comprising cuttobacco and carboxymethyl cellulose as a binding agent; a preformedmouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a maximum negative forcegreater than −0.1N in a three-point bending strength test, comprisingcut tobacco and wherein the binding agent is exclusively carboxymethylcellulose; an oral tobacco product according to embodiment 25 whereinthe binding agent consists exclusively of carboxymethyl cellulose; apreformed mouldable oral tobacco product which exhibits a maximumnegative force greater than −0.1N in a three-point bending strength testand a friability value of less than 0.4%, e.g., between 0.1% and 0.4%;and an oral tobacco product according to any of the preceedingembodimentswhich does not exhibit any brittleness and which exhibits amaximum three-point bending strength of less than 4N.

1. A preformed mouldable oral tobacco product comprising: a mouldable,orally consumable portion comprising: tobacco; and a binding agent,wherein the portion does not exhibit any brittleness and has athree-point bending strength of less than 4N.
 2. The oral tobaccoproduct according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco is cut tobacco, andwherein the binding agent comprises carboxymethyl cellulose.
 3. The oraltobacco product according to claim 2, wherein the binding agent furthercomprises exclusively carboxymethyl cellulose.
 4. The oral tobaccoproduct according to claim 1, wherein the binding agent is provided in aproportion by weight of greater than 1%.
 5. The oral tobacco productaccording to claim 1, having a three-point bending strength of between1N and 3.5N.
 6. The oral tobacco product according to claim 1, whereinthe portion is stable in water, and wherein the portion is resistant toone of breaking down and dissolving, in water, in less than 30 minutes.7. The oral tobacco product according to claim 6, wherein the portionexhibits a percentage weight loss, after 30 minutes in water, of lessthan 25%.
 8. A pre-formed mouldable oral tobacco product comprising: amouldable, orally consumable portion comprising: tobacco; and a bindingagent, wherein the portion exhibits a friability value of less than0.5%.
 9. The oral tobacco product according to claim 8, wherein theportion exhibits a friability value of less than 0.4%.
 10. The oraltobacco product according to claim 8, wherein the portion does notexhibit any brittleness and wherein the portion has a three-pointbending strength of less than 4N.
 11. The oral tobacco product accordingto claim 10, wherein the portion has a three-point bending strength ofbetween 1N and 3.5N.
 12. The oral tobacco product according to claim 8,wherein the tobacco comprises cut tobacco, and wherein the binding agentcomprises carboxymethyl cellulose.
 13. The oral tobacco productaccording to claim 12, wherein the binding agent comprises exclusivelycarboxymethyl cellulose.
 14. The oral tobacco product according to claim8, wherein the binding agent is provided in a proportion by weight ofgreater than 1%.
 15. The oral tobacco product according to claim 8,wherein the portion is stable in water; and wherein the portion isresistant to one of breaking down and dissolving, in water, in less than30 minutes.
 16. The oral tobacco product according to claim 15, whereinthe portion exhibits a percentage weight loss, after 30 minutes inwater, of less than 25%.
 17. A method of manufacturing a preformedmouldable oral tobacco product comprising: combining tobacco with abinding agent to form a mixture; and providing individual portionsthereof.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the binding agentcomprises a cellulose derivative.
 19. The method according to claim 17,wherein the binding agent comprises carboxymethyl cellulose.
 20. Themethod according to claim 19, wherein the binding agent comprisesexclusively carboxymethyl cellulose.
 21. The method according to claim17, further comprising kneading the mixture before an extruding step.22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising kneading themixture for between 7 and 15 minutes.
 23. The method according to claim17, further comprising heating the mixture before an extruding step. 24.A preformed mouldable oral tobacco product comprising: a mouldable,orally consumable portion comprising: tobacco; and a binding agent,wherein the portion exhibits a maximum negative force greater than 0.1Nin a three-point bending strength test.
 25. The oral tobacco productaccording to claim 24, wherein the portion exhibits a negative force ofbetween −0.1N and −0.9N in a three-point bending strength test.
 26. Theoral tobacco product according to claim 24, wherein the tobaccocomprises cut tobacco, and wherein the binding agent comprisescarboxymethyl cellulose.
 27. The oral tobacco product according to claim26, wherein the binding agent comprises exclusively carboxymethylcellulose.
 28. The oral tobacco product according to claim 24, whereinthe portion exhibits a friability value of less than 0.5%.
 29. The oraltobacco product according to claim 28, wherein the portion exhibits afriability value of less than 0.4%.
 30. The oral tobacco productaccording to claim 24, wherein the portion does not exhibit anybrittleness, and wherein the portion exhibits a maximum three-pointbending strength of less than 4N.